11 Foods Made in China You Must Avoid

#1 Plastic Rice

Your rice could be plastic! A large amount of ‘counterfeit' rice has been seized in China in the past, and it is believed that much of it was produced from potatoes combined with a synthetic resin substance. The rice stays hard after boiling and the FDA says that long-term consumption of the rice could cause cancer. In 2016, over 4 million tons of this rice was found in US and Canadian stores. Consumers find it hard to spot the difference but steer clear of rice from China for a while.

#2 Apple Juice

Believe it or not, approximately 60% of the apple juice sold in global markets originate from China. Unknown to many, China is the largest pesticide producer in the world, and they have yet to address the issue of pesticide and chemical residue on food products. Juices on shelves of US grocery stores have been found to contain arsenic and other poisons. Food experts and nutritionists recommend consumers to avoid drinking mass-produced apple juice. Why would we import apple juice from China when we have so many delicious apples and mills right here in our own country?

#3 Salt

Salt produced for industrial purposes, like in removing ice from roads, is finding its way onto the tables of America, Canada, and Britain. Table salt is mixed with the industrial type to cut the use of it by half. Therefore, any salt from China in sold may also contain industrial salt. Consuming this salt may contribute to high blood pressure, hypertension, and the risk of heart attack and stroke. It's not healthy.

#4 Cod Fish

This fish is one of the most toxic and unhealthy types of fish that you can eat, and 80% of this fish sold in America comes from China. China's farmers and fish farmers use dangerous levels of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, including banned chemicals, to increase their productivity. Most of the fish are farmed in small pools of green waste water, which is highly polluted. Officials from the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration found carcinogenic nitrofuran metabolites in the fish and Beijing found additional drugs, including malachite green.

#5 Chinese Garlic

35% of garlic sold in America comes from China. Like with other grown foods, the pesticides involved in the process (mainly methyl bromide) are just not safe and should be avoided. US inspectors have revealed that tainted garlic was discovered and sold in US stores.

#6 Tilapia Fish

Tilapia is a widely known fish and happens to be the most commonly farmed fish in China. And, over 45% of the fish sold worldwide comes from China. Unknown to many, Tilapia are among the most toxic and unhealthy fish that consumers will ever have served to them on their plate. Tilapia fishes eat just about anything and are comparable to a bottom-feeder fish. Even the water the fishes are farmed in is nothing more than a small pool of water filled with human waste and fish excrement.

It is, without a doubt, one of the worst seafood purchases consumers can make. It is also a commonly known fact that fish-farmers in China won't even let their family eat the fish they farm.

#7 Fake Green Peas

Fake peas were found in the Hunan province of China. According to the FDA, the peas remained rock-hard even after being boiled in high temperatures and even turned the boiling water into an unnatural shade of green. The fake peas are a very profitable source of income for marketers.

The factory that produced these fake peas was in operation for about three years before authorities discovered the manufacturing and sale of the peas. The fake peas were created with snow peas and soy beans which were added with green dye and sodium metabisulfite (used as a bleach and preservative). This dye is forbidden to use on produce because it may cause cancer, as well as obstruct the body's ability to absorb calcium. The Chinese government says they have closed down the plants making the fake peas but I wouldn't buy any from China.

#8 Mushrooms

If you love to eat mushrooms, especially canned mushrooms, then you need to be extra careful. The news of toxic mushrooms came into the limelight in 2006 when 16 diners were hospitalized after eating a poisonous variety of boletus mushrooms in Beijing. After eating the toxic mushrooms, the diners suffered from nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and dizziness. Since then, several people have suffered from food poisoning due to mushroom consumption.

In the U.S., 44% of processed mushrooms are from China. Some of these are toxic mushrooms and are even labeled as organic to increase sales. They are sold frozen, canned and even in the fresh deli department.

#9 Chicken

In 2013, the US Department of Agriculture approved the sale of chicken from China in the United States. As with fish, this is a pollution and feeding issue. The chickens are piled over 10 feet high in stalls and fed waste and anything else they can find, including pesticides and other chemicals. China is commonly plagued with Avian Flu and other foodborne illnesses as well. An undercover reporter recently found sliced opened chickens, ready to be packed and shipped, full of maggots and other parasites.

#10 Fake Beef

Because pork costs less than beef in China, some restaurants prepare and alter pork meat to look and taste like beef and serve it to patrons. They use a beef extract and a glazing agent to ‘marinate' the meat for 90 minutes beforehand. Doctors have advised consumers to steer away from these ‘fake beef' meat products as long-term consumption may lead to "slow poisoning, deformity, and even cancer." This pork/beef was recently found in mid-2016 at Walmart, Sam's, Costco, and other locations.

#11 Imitation Eggs

A notable number of Chinese websites have released detailed instructional videos that teach viewers on how to make a profit by producing and selling fake eggs. The ingredients that are necessitated to make these eggs are easily obtainable basic chemicals like "Alginic Acid, Potassium Alum, Gelatin, Calcium Chloride, water and artificial color." The eggshells are made from Calcium Carbonate. Eating these eggs may cause memory loss and dementia and cause ulcers and breast cancer. These are found in some areas of Canada and the United States but the Chinese were caught in 2015 and have slimmed down this fake egg procedure somewhat.